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2017-18 Varsity Basketball Preview

By Eddie Dwyer, 12/01/17, 3:00PM EST

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Young in terms of overall experience, but quick, strong, versatile and eager to make their mark, the 2017-18 Varsity Basketball Wildcats will open their season tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon at 2:30 versus John Hay in the Great Lakes Classic at Cleveland Heights High School

 Ohio City - As he was putting his Wildcats through another spirited practice in Fr. Sullivan Gymnasium on Thursday afternoon, Saint Ignatius' Hall of Fame Head Basketball Coach Brian Becker '77 talked about his new-look team and the challenges of facing one of the most demanding schedules in the entire state.

 Of course at Saint Ignatius, a who's who schedule is commonplace.

 "Each year it's a new adventure, and that's the beautiful thing about coaching high school basketball," said Coach Becker, who has compiled 337 career victories, including a Wildcats-best 323 triumphs. Coach Becker served as the Head Coach of the Fairview Warriors for two seasons.

 Among Coach Becker's 323 triumphs at his alma mater are an OHSAA Division I State Championship in March of 2001 and an OHSAA Division I State Runner-up finish in March of 1998.   

 "You have kids coming in and kids leaving, and certainly we lost a lot of really good talent from last year," Coach Becker said of last winter's 19-6 record and District Runner-Up finish. Last season's run was fueled by one of the top big men combinations in all of Oho, 6-foot-7 Matt Davet '17 and 6-8 Austen Yarian '17.

 Coach Becker also spoke highly of some of the complementary players who graduated from last season -  Colin Goodfellow '17, Michael Spear '17 and Devin Jackson '17, to name a few.

 "Along with Matt and Austen, those guys provided a real stable environment for us," Coach Becker continued. "They were also really good leaders in the sense that they taught these young kids how to compete."

 And it is that hunger for high-level competition that appears so evident in the new-look Basketball 'Cats.

 "We're not as big as last year, we're going to run and press a little bit more," emphasized Coach Becker. "I think we're a little more athletic. Jon Barnes (6-3 senior Jonathon Barnes), with the experience he got last season, is hopefully going to be our leader. He's got the ability to score inside, the ability to score outside, he handles the ball, he puts it on the floor and he rebounds. We're going to bank on him quite a bit."

 Coach Becker was quick to point out his team's "other really good pieces," such as the extremely athletic 6-2 senior Josh Ozanne and the "workhorses," seniors Aymin Bahhur (6-4, 210 pounds) and Dominic DiNunzio (6-4, 215).

 "Heart and soul, they're above and beyond," Coach Becker said of Bahhur and DiNunzio. "They really go after it each and every day in practice. They defend really well and they communicate really well. They do the little things, which are important on a team like this. You have to have that stabilizing factor."

 Two sophomores will lead the Wildcats' backcourt, Tevin Jackson and Chase Toppin.

 "They are guys who will be counted on early and often to control the tempo for us," Coach Becker said of Jackson and Toppin. "That's tough for a sophomore, getting a feel of the game, getting a feel for what I want and getting a feel for when they have to push it hard and when they have to back it up. I'm sure there will be a leaning curve there."

 If the name Toppin sounds familiar, Chase is the brother of Saint Ignatius' senior first-team All-Ohio and first-team All-Northeast Lakes District football cornerback Cameron Toppin.

 Coach Becker pointed out that 6-2 senior guard Neeko Melendez is by far the most improved player from last season.

 "It seems like Neeko has made every shot he has seen, all summer long and throughout fall practice," said Coach Becker. "He will be counted on to put some points on the board, and he's capable of doing it off the bounce, with 15-footers and 3-pointers.

 "This team certainly has a lot of nice characteristics," continued Coach Becker. "Luke Wiskes (the 'Cats' gifted 6-5 senior forward) is back from injuries. He's getting healthy and making more plays each and every day. He'll be a major factor in our mix on a daily basis."

 Saint Ignatius is blessed with some more than capable depth this season, including the inside presence of 6-9, 240-pound junior post Kevin Davet, 6-6, 220-pound junior Nathan Hubbard, 6-3, 215-pound junior Arnaldo Valenzuela and savvy 5-11 junior Lukas Bielek.

 "We can have a really big team out there and I'm sure we'll see that against John Hay, where we can play some zone," said Coach Becker of tomorrow's matchup with the Hornets from Cleveland's Senate Athletic League. "But our guards will be the key to our success. If we get good stability from our guards, good things are going to happen for us."

 That stability will be challenged right out of the gate during a December that Coach Becker describes as a nightmare.

 After John Hay, the Wildcats, ranked 12th in Cleveland.com's preseason Top 25 poll, will host Lutheran East on December 9th, will play another home game versus Cornerstone Christian on December 12th, and then will travel to highly touted Cleveland Heights and Solon on December 14th and 16th, respectively. Lutheran East, last season's Division IV state champion, has moved up to Division III under the OHSAA's new competitive balance system and Cornerstone Christian brought home the Division IV state championship in March of 2016.

 Saint Ignatius will close out December with home games versus traditional state powers Canton McKinley and Warren Harding, and the annual New Year's even afternoon matchup with St. Vincent-St. Mary, which this season with be played in LeBron James Arena on the campus of SVSM.

The who's who schedule will feature the traditional home and home series with rival St. Edward (at Sullivan Gym on Jan. 20th and at the Eagles Nest on Feb. 9th) and a January 26th matchup in Ohio City with the talent-laden Garfield Heights Bulldogs. Garfield Heights and St. Edward are ranked 1-2, respectively, in the seven-county area's Top 25 preseason poll. See the Wildcats' complete schedule below.         

Sat Dec 2 -

@ John Hay

Cleveland Heights (Great Lakes Classic)

2:30 PM EST
Sat Dec 9 -

Lutheran East

Sullivan Gym

7:00 PM EST
Tue Dec 12 -

Cornerstone Christian

Sullivan Gym

7:00 PM EST
Thu Dec 14 -

@ Cleveland Heights

Cleveland Heights

7:30 PM EST
Sat Dec 16 -

@ Solon

Solon HS

7:30 PM EST
Sat Dec 23 -

Canton McKinley

Sullivan Gym

7:00 PM EST
Wed Dec 27 -

Warren Harding

Sullivan Gym

7:00 PM EST
Sun Dec 31 -

@ St.Vincent-St.Mary

St. Vincent-St. Mary

3:30 PM EST
Fri Jan 5 -

University School

Sullivan Gym

7:30 PM EST
Sat Jan 6 -

@ Erie Prep

Erie Prep

4:30 PM EST
Sat Jan 13 -

Westerville South

John Carroll University (CIT)

7:30 PM EST
Sat Jan 20 -

St. Edward

Sullivan Gym

7:00 PM EST
Fri Jan 26 -

Garfield Heights

Sullivan Gym

7:00 PM EST
Sat Jan 27 -

Cleveland Central Catholic

Sullivan Gym

7:00 PM EST
Thu Feb 1 -

John Marshall

Sullivan Gym

7:00 PM EST
Sat Feb 3 -

@ Benedictine

Benedictine HS

7:00 PM EST
Fri Feb 9 -

@ St. Edward

St. Edward HS

7:30 PM EST
Sat Feb 10 -

Beachwood

Sullivan Gym

7:00 PM EST
Sat Feb 17 -

@ Massillon Washington

Massillon Washington

7:30 PM EST
Fri Feb 23 -

@ Kenston

Kenston HS

7:30 PM EST